The Los Angeles Rams are sitting at a shaky 2-4 on the season after an 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and one opposing NFL coach is already calling out their whole “dream team” vibe from the offseason. This coach, keeping it anonymous, told The Athletic’s Mike Sando that trying to build a squad like that “doesn’t work in this league.” Oof.
The “Dream Team” Flop That Nobody Expected
Seriously, this rival coach went straight for the jugular, questioning if the Rams got way too aggressive chasing Super Bowl glory this offseason. Their big move, trading two-time Pro Bowler Jared Verse for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, is getting hammered. “Verse had juice and carried the flag for that team,” the coach said. That’s a brutal take, implying the team lost its heart. When you’re sitting at 2-4, and rival coaches are telling reporters your whole strategy is fundamentally flawed, you know things are rough. Preseason, everyone was writing the Rams in as the NFC’s rep for Super Bowl LXI. Now? Not so much.
Wait, Are Things Really That Bad, Or Is It Just Bad Luck?
But hey, not everyone is piling on. One member of the Cardinals coaching staff, who just watched them in person, is actually downplaying the whole meltdown. “Dude, they’ll be fine. They have Matthew Stafford,” they told The MMQB. Another anonymous coach echoed that to Sando, pointing out that the Rams went “to the wire” against “good teams” like the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills, losing by only seven combined points. “You win some, you lose some in the NFL. I think they’re gonna be fine,” they said.
Okay, so what’s really going on? GM Les Snead knew the Garrett trade would crank up the preseason expectations and the pressure. But who could’ve predicted Garrett would get injured in Week 1 after missing only two combined games from 2021-25? That’s just tough luck. Then there’s Aaron Donald. Look, the guy’s a legend, bound for the Hall of Fame, but he was retired for two full seasons! You can look great in workouts, but rust is real. Between Garrett’s injury and Donald’s rust, the Rams only have eight sacks as a team. And Stafford? His touchdown (46) and interception (eight) rates from previous seasons were some of the best of his career, so a little regression was probably coming anyway. It’s easy to look back with hindsight and say this wasn’t an unbeatable “dream team,” but maybe the overreactions to their 2-4 record are just as premature as the preseason hype.
It’s Week 6, the season is still early, and the NFL is a wild beast. It’s going to be wild to see how this plays out for the Rams.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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